1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an aerosol valve and more specifically to an aerosol valve which can be used in the inverted position. Still more specifically, the invention relates to a valve body and an appendage therefor which enables the valve to be used either end up.
2. Description of Related Art including Information Disclosed under .sctn..sctn.1.97 to 1.99
There are already on the market and in the patent literature showings of aerosol valves adapted to be used when the container to which the valves are secured is disposed either end up. Some of these earlier valves are in the form of one-piece valve bodies having built thereinto second valve structure including a gravity-responsive ball which closes a second valve in series with the primary aerosol valve but which, when the container is inverted, drops away to permit product to pass in through the second valve and into the aerosol valve chamber.
An example of such a one-piece body is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,692 to Meuresch et al which issued Feb. 9, 1988. In such arrangements having the second valve operated by the gravity-responsive ball disposed in the one-piece aerosol valve body the virtue is said to be reduction of the amount of plastic required in manufacture and easy positioning.
Another patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,315,693 patented Apr. 25, 1967 by Arthur Braun, discloses an attachment which can be connected onto the tailpiece of an aerosol valve and which has a laterally disposed second valve operated again by a ball which falls away from the secondary seat when the container is inverted and permits product to enter from adjacent the second valve into the main aerosol body. The Braun patent has the advantage that the attachment described can be connected onto a conventional aerosol valve so that no special aerosol body need be made up specifically for invertible aerosol valve use as in Meuresch. The attachment of Braun suffers from a complete lack of symmetry which makes it awkward to handle in quantity production.